Dakar 2019

The Dakar Rally will take place in only one country for the first time in its history next season, with Peru the sole host nation for the 2019 event. The route for the 41st edition of the South American event was revealed by rally organizer ASO on Friday, following the news that Chile had dropped out of a potential return at the last minute.

It comprises 10 stages and a rest day, all within Peru, starting and ending in the capital city Lima. It will begin on January 6 and finish on January 17. ASO had initially hoped for a route starting in Chile and ending in Ecuador, but was unable to reach an agreement with either country to join Peru.
Talks were also held with Bolivia before it made a late decision to withdraw as well. Rally director Etienne Lavigne is confident that, despite the lack of countries interested in hosting the Dakar, the beaches, dunes and Peruvian tracks will still attract a strong entry.